Improvement in fire-escapes



.c. BACON a. -J. L. THOMAS.

FIRE-ESCAPES.'

Painted-Aug. 28,1877;

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UNITED STATEs PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES BACON AND JAMES L. THOMAS, OF POSEY COUNTY, INDIANA.

IMPROVEMENT IN FIRE-ESCAPES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 194,544. dated August 28, 1877; application filed June 9, 1877.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, CHARLES BAooN and JAMES L. THOMAS, of the county of Posey and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire-Escapes and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of our improved fire-escape, showing in dotted lines the interior mechanism. Fig. 2 is a detailed view of the fixed wheel and spring.

The object of our invention is to provide an improvement in fire escapes; and it consists in the construction and arrangement of parts, as hereinafter described.

In the drawings, A designates the frame or case. B is the shaft hung in said frame or case. B is the spring firmly attached at one end to said shaft, or to a fixed wheel upon said shaft, and at the other end to the frame or case. C is the safety-band secured to said shaft, and kept wound thereupon by the spring B. D is the body strap or belt at the free end of the band C. E is a brake-lever, pivoted to the frame or case, preferably above the shaft, and arranged to bear upon said fixed wheel, or upon said shaft when desired. F is a cord or hand line attached to the outer end of said brake, and of a length sufficient to extend to fhe ground. G is a spring, which bears against said brake-lever and normally holds the same out of contact with the fixed wheel or shaft. H is a crank upon the shaft A, which may be used for winding up the safet -band when desirable to do so--as, for instance, to hoist by the safety band any weight or person too great for the spring alone to raise.

Our improved fire-escape may be attached in any suitable manner to the wall of a building near the windows, doors, or other openings of the upper stories, and the manner of operating it is as follows: In case of a necessity arising for rapid descent from the building the person desiring to escape will allow the free end of the brake-cord F to fall to the ground, sieze the strap D, and secure it about the body under the arms by the belt and buckle, or other suitable fastening, then grasping the brake-cord let himself out of the window or opening, meantime bearing with sufficient force or pull upon the cord to cause the brake-lever E to act upon the wheel or shaft within the case, and thus regulate the speed of the descent; or the descent may, if desired, by sufficient pressure upon the cord, be arrested altogether at any point in order to re enter the building by lower windows or other openings, as occasion may require.

On removing the belt from the body, and relieving the tension on the brake-cord, the spring G instantly detaches the brakelever from the Wheel or shaft, and the safety-band is immediately rewound upon the shaft by the action of the spring B, to be in readiness for the descent of another or other persons, as occasion may require.

The parts of our improved fire-escape may be made of any suitable material. We prefer to make them of metal.

Having thus described our improvement in fire-escapes and its mode of operation, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The case A, shaft B, spring B, band C, brake-lever E, cord F, and spring G, all constructed and arranged to operate substantially as herein described. H

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own we affix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES BACON. JAMES L. THOMAS. Witnesses:

GHAELEs M. SPENcER, THOS. 0. (loans. 

